Container for distributing and sorting machines



Feb. 25, 1947. J. J. M.'L .'MARCHAND 2,416,393

' CONTAINER FOR DISTRIBUTING AND SORTING MACHINES File d becpls, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 25, 1947. M, RCH 2,416,398

CONTAINER FOR DISTRIBUTING AND SORTING MACHINES 2 Shee tS -Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 15, 1942 Patented Feb. 25, 1947 CONTAINER'FOR DISTRIBUTING AND SORTING MACHINES Jean Joseph Martin Lambert Marchand, The

Hague, Netherlands; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application December 15, 1942, Serial No. 469,106 In the Netherlands October 24, 1941 8 Claims.

The invention relates to a conveying apparatus with an endless chain, such as may be applied e. g. in installations for the automatic transfer and sorting of postal matter, such as letters, documents or similar articles from one or more central stations to a plurality of delivery points. The invention is particularly suitable for that type of sorting and distributing devices, such as disclosed in United States patent specification -No. 1,774,447, in which the conveyor means for the letters, documents, or the like, consists in containers, swingably mounted to mutually connected conveying carriages. The sidewalls of these carriages form the chain-links of an endless chain conveyor, which conveyor is continuously moved in a closed cycle over a track. One or more control devices are spaced at selected points along the track, each of said controls cooperating with a moving container or containers to release a document or the like therefrom into a container. Therefore, during said cycle, the documents to be distributed are successively loaded at selected points along the track and at given moments in appropriate containers. At another point or points, determined by the setting in the control devices and a1s0 at a given moment, the loaded documents are released at the points of delivery from said moving containers.

For satisfactory operation of the entire apparatus, the automatic supply and delivery of the articles to be distributed must be in agreement with the higher speed of the endless chain; that is to say, that both actions also take place with certainty, without any retardation or acceleration, or without any other deviation at the right moment, and at the right point. When the endless chain moves at a higher speed, the documents must 'be deposited in the containers and delivered at the places of delivery at a correspondingly higher speed,

An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide said containers with a special flexible receiving device in order to prevent rebounding of the document, which is thrown in the container at a correspondingly high speed at the loading point.

Each of the document containers, traveling together in the form of an endless chain conveyor,

' is provided with revolving segment-like bottom flaps, which flaps are adapted to serve as a flexible bottom upon which the document falls as it is inserted into the container.

Each of the flaps forming the container bottom is pivotally connected to a lever, which in turn "has one end thereof pivoted in the sidewall of the container. Both levers are normally urged inwardly toward each other by means of a tension spring, the inward travel of the levers being ited by means of fixed abutments.

According to another feature of the invention, the segment-like part of each of the bottom flaps is so curved that, when rotating about the pivot point of the lever, both parts approach each other and grip the document, being thrown in; whereas, at a further movement, the shafts are adapted to be turned outwardly, dependent on the thickness of the document,

Finally, a further feature of the inventionis the special construction of the details, as will be described in the following description and as indicated in the annexed claims.

In order to enable the invention in. all the details to be readily understood, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, more or less diagrammatically and by way of example, the construction according to the present invention.

Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic sketch of a sorting and. conveying apparatus, on which the invention more particularly may suitably be applied;

Figs. 2 and 3 are views, partly in section, showing a detailed portion of a container;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical plan view of the supply mechanism for projecting a document or the like into the container; whereas Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 4.

An outline of a mail sorting apparatus is illustrated in Fig. 1, in which [2 is the track for the endless chain; the links l3 of the chain being moved over said track are formed by the sidewalls of the mutually coupled carriages M with the swingable containers l5 connected'thereto. The carriages are moved along the bottom of control apparatus I6. The operator deposits it! the apparatus Hi the documents to be distributed, one after the other and, at the same time, makes a setting on the key-board, in order to determine the place of delivery for said document. In consequence of this setting, the several parts of the mechanism may come in action in such way that a document orthe like is transferred from apparatus I 6 into a desired container [5 as the container passes thereby,.after which said container is swung out automatically above the inlet ofone of a numberof chutes l1, guiding the document to the place of delivery, viz., to a given receptacle. To move the containers l5 back againin vertical position after passing the limcontrol apparatus l6, contrivances or guideplates' I8 are provided.

Figs. 2 and 3 show the lower part of a con tainer l5. Each container is formed in the shape of an oblong receptacle, open at the upper and carriage. frame in such manner that they are.

adapted to swing out in both directions. The

lower sides of the walls 28 are provided with:

local recesses 2 I, through which the bottom halves are movable for opening and closing the discharge mouth of the container. Said bottom halves are constructed as illustrated in the given example,

and comprise revolving segment-likeflaps 22 V which form, in fully inwardposition, as indicated in Fig. 2, a closure for the container, leaving between them at the lowest point, a receiving opening for the document 32 deposited therein.

indicated in Fig. 2, in which position they are pressed against fixed abutments 28. Eccentrically of the point of rotation 24, each of the flaps 22 is formed integrally with a crank arm 29. The lower end of a link 30 is hingedly connected to the end of each crank arm 29. The upper ends of both links 30 are, in turn, hingedly connected to a sliding bar 3|. When the container has arrived at the right place of delivery, the bar 3| moves upwardly to rotate. the shafts 24 and to open said container, and also to expel the document 32 therefrom with the necessary speed into the corresponding delivery chute.

By throwing a document 32 in the container, said document, as a result of the high speed, impinges against the bottom flaps in the receiving opening. These flaps, according to the described construction, are thereby urged momentarily downwardly to a position, as indicated in Fig. 3. Said downward movement of the flaps causes a complete damping of the inertia of the document; after that, the flaps move back again to their original position, according to Fig. 2, under the action of the spring 2'1. The result is, thatindependent of the weight and the speed of the document-a bouncing back .or rebounding is prevented, and said document under all cir-. cumstances remains in the right position, ready for being delivered. Furthermore, the arrangement is such that, during the expulsion of the document from the container, the segment-like parts of theflaps 22 are moved to the dottedline position, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the segments are rotated one towards the other to .under all circumstances, will be expelled at a high speed into the corresponding delivery chute.

In the Figs. 4 and 5, the supply mechanism for the documents or the like is illustrated diagrammatically. Before being deposited in the con-.

tainer, each document is projected by the operator at the key-board of the control apparatus IS in a channel 33, closable e. g. by means of a mechanically controlled bottom valve. As soon -'as, corresponding with the setting by the operator on the key-board, a carriage with container arrives underneath said channel, the bottom valve is opened and, at the same time, the document is gripped between a set of rollers 34 and 35. The

roller 34 is continuously driven with a predetermined relatively high speed, whereas the roller 35 swings in an arcuate path and is pulled against the roller 34 by means of a spring 35a. By the rotation of the rollers, the engaged document between rollers 34 and 35 is projected at a high speed into the container l5, which container,

at that moment, is located underneath the channel 33. The roller 34 is driven by means of a gear train 36, 3'5, 38, 39, from the main shaft 432 The toothed wheels 31 and 38 are mounted on an intermediate shaft ii; the wheel 3'! is loosely rotatable on said shaft. Between said wheel 37 and the wheel 38, according to the invention, a so-called slip-coupling is provided, comprising the coupling parts s2, 42a, from which the part 42, not only is rotatable with the shaft M, but also slidable thereon. By means of a spiral spring '33, located between abutment 44 and coupling '32, the coupling A2 is continuously pressed in the direction of the wheel 31, said wheel thereby being rotated by friction at a normal speed of transmission and being coupled with the shaft. When alternately depositing documents of different thickness and weight respectively, the initial speed of the document may be accordingly, more or less, automatically adjusted within given limits. Moreover, the provision of the slip-coupling has an important advantage, namely, when for any cause an abnormal sudden resistance is encountered between the set of rollers 34 and 35, th pressure of the spring 43 will be overcome to allow the clutch to slip and the wheel 31 toibe momentarily disengaged. Such an abnormal resistance thus cannot have any unfavorable action on the further transmission and eventually on the working of the other means, controlled by the setting in the control apparatus.

The performance, as described in the foregoing by way of example, may be altered in details, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

- The invention also can be applied to installations of the type in whichthe chain track is located in planes oblique to a horizontal plane, e. g. to installations for the distributing of letters or the like over a number of rooms, situated on different floors, or in which the documents are conveyed in other ways than by means of swingable con- I pivoted to said links respectively and forming a bottom ,for said container, and means for yieldingly urging said opposed closure members and associated links toward each other.

2. In a container for handling documents and the like to be distributed, a shock-absorbing bottom for said container comprising a pair of opposed rotatable members for engaging a document therebetween when the document is being expelled from the container, means for supporting at least one of said members for bodily movement toward and awayfrom the other, and meansfor yieldingly urging said supporting means and associated rotatable member toward the other.

3. In a container for receiving documents and the like to be distributed, a shock-absorbing botment toward and away from the center of said container, and yielding means for normally urging said oppositely mounted supporting means and associated fingers toward each other.

4. In a, container for receiving documents and the like to be distributed, a shock-absorbing bottom for said container comprising spaced fingers rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said container, the free ends of said oppositely mounted fingers intermeshing substantiallyat the center of said container to form a support for one edge of an inserted document, expulsion cam segments integral with each of said fingers, the cams on one side of the container being normally spaced apart from the cams on the opposite side to thereby provide supporting means for the opposite sides of said document, means for supporting said oppositely mounted fingers and associated cams for bodily movement toward and away from the center of said container, and a spring for normally urging said oppositely mounted supporting means and associated fingers and cams toward each other. e i Y 5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a moving container for handling articles such as documents, parcels, and the like, at least one pivoted closure member forming a bottom for said container, means for projecting one of said articles into said container and upon said closure member, means for supporting said closure member for bodily movement toward and away from closed position, means for yieldingly urging said supporting means and associated member toward closed position, and means carried by said closure member for exerting a gradually increasing gripping pressure upon a projected article during the pivotal movement of the member, whereby the inertia of the article will be dampened and rebounding of the same will be prevented.

din an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a moving container, for handling articles such as documents, parcels, and the like, means for projecting one of said articles into said container, said means including a pair of feed rolls between which said articles are inserted, means for driving one of said rolls, and means carried by said container and responsive to the impact of the projected article for gradually decelerating the movement of the article, whereby the inertia of the article will be dampened and rebounding of the same will be prevented.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a moving container for handling articles such as documents, parcels, and the like, means for projecting one of said articles into said container, said means including a pair of feed rolls between which said articles are inserted, means for driving one of said rolls, a slip coupling between said driving means and said driven roll, and means carried by said container and responsive to the impact of the projected article for gradually decelerating the movement of the article, whereby the inertiaof the article will be dampened and rebounding of the same willbe prevented.

8. In an, apparatus of the class described, the combination of a moving container for handling articles such as documents, parcels, and the like, means for projecting one of said articles into said container, means carried by said containerand responsive to the impact of the projected article for gradually decelerating the movement of the article, said decelerating means comprising a bottom'member hingedly secured to said container, and spring means for yieldingly holding said bottom in closed position and for resisting the impact of the projected article, whereby the inertia of the article will be dampened and rebounding of the same will be prevented.

JEAN JOSEPH MARTIN LAMBERT MARCHAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,324,247 Gehring Dec. 9, 1919 1,852,428 Marchand et a1. Apr. 5, 1932 2,132,810 Miller Oct. 4, 1938' 1,769,348 Krummel July 1, 1930 2,150,320 Edwards Mar. 14, 1939 1,774,447 Marchand et a1. Aug. 26, 1930 

